Aaron Banks will be the left guard, Elgton Jenkins will be the center, and Sean Rhyan will be the right guard for the 2025 season. But with Jordan Morgan at left tackle, who will be the depth on the interior line? Bruce Feldman of The Athletic may have the answer in his latest mock draft, which includes quotes from rival coaches.
In this scenario, the Packers take North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel at 23—a move that could lock up the line for years to come.
Why Grey Zabel Makes Sense for the Packers?
Zabel, a 2024 first-team All-American, is the latest in a long line of North Dakota State’s FCS-level offensive linemen. 6-foot-5 7/8, 312 pounds, he’s being compared to other small-school success stories like Cody Mauch and Spencer Brown.
“He’s a talented, physical kid,” a Missouri Valley head coach told Feldman. “I don’t think he’s as good as Cody Mauch or Spencer Brown, but I think he’s better than Trevor Penning. Grey is a really good athlete, but I think Mauch bent better and was more of a mauler.”
Zabel didn’t run the 40 or do agility drills at the Scouting Combine but his jumps were elite. His week at the Senior Bowl solidified him as a Day 1 starter.
“He’s got legit five-position flex,” said NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah. “He’s got good balance, always under control and never on the ground. He’s got strong hands and is really aware of what’s going on and picking things up.”
Zabel’s Versatility Shines at Senior Bowl
At the Senior Bowl, Zabel really showed off his range. He excelled at both guard and center during practice—and that was just the beginning. In the game, he took 26 snaps at center and 21 at right guard. That earned him plenty of praise from scouts and analysts.
“That was an incredible week,” Zabel said at the Combine. “Getting back in pads, feeling the rush of football again—that’s what it’s all about. And to be able to go down to the Senior Bowl, compete against the best and really show what I can do… that was invaluable.”
Across his college career, Zabel racked up an impressive 2,776 snaps across multiple positions. That’s 974 at left tackle, 463 at left guard, 17 at center, 222 at right guard, 1,064 at right tackle and 42 as an extra tight end. That adaptability is exactly what the Packers look for in their linemen.
“The key is understanding what’s expected of you in any given situation,” Zabel said. “Where your hand is, what stance you’re in, whether you need to snap the ball… that changes every week. So you just have to be the best football player you can be, no matter where you’re needed.”
The biggest thing, he explained, is being able to adjust on the fly. “You never know where a team might need you,” he said. “So being prepared for that—and being the best you can be—is what really matters.”
How Zabel Compares to Other Small-School Linemen?
North Dakota State has a long history of churning out linemen who are ready for the NFL—and Zabel looks like he could be the next one to follow that path. That dominance he showed last season—just one sack allowed over 16 games—was hard to ignore, even when he was facing smaller schools. The Senior Bowl really helped quiet some of the doubts about how he’d perform against top-notch opponents.
“Zabel answered some of those smaller-school questions at the Senior Bowl,” Jeremiah said. “North Dakota State has been a factory for linemen. I love the guy, and I think he’s definitely in the mix for a first-round pick.”
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